Seasons Greetings from the Journey of Hope...from Violence to Healing
Written by Angela Grobben
Season's Greetings
Season’s Greetings, Dear Friends,
I want to thank each of you who have supported the Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing; be it by word of mouth, forwarding links and posts, donating resources, joining us on Journeys or keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.
You inspire me.
It has been over a year since I have written a fundraising letter for the Journey of Hope. It is one of my least favorite things to do, but the time has come. It is the season, and we have a reason.
Since I last wrote the Journey of Hope has accomplished much, thanks to your generous support.
We were able to send a team of twelve powerful speakers for the 2010 Texas Journey of Hope in October where we spoke in high schools, colleges and churches. David Kaczynski, Bud Welch, Shujaa Graham, Marietta Jaeger Lane, Ron Carlson, Curtis McCarty, Bess Klassen/Landis, Sandrine Ageorges Skinner (France), Bill Babbitt, George White and Terri Steinberg formed a great team that I was proud to be part of.
Activists Angela Grobben and Jasmine Jenni (Switzerland), Gilles Denizot (Germany), Hilda Koppenburg (France), Bob Lane and Kathy Harris joined others including special guest speaker Margo Van Sluytman (Canada) and our wonderful Journey Troubadours Charlie King and Karen Brandow to help make this a very memorable Journey event.
We traveled to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin where we joined Scott Cobb’s 11th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty on our final full day of the Journey. The march also featured six exonerees from the Witness to Innocence program. Together our banners led the march to the State Capital on that Saturday afternoon. The Journey of Hope proclaimed that same Saturday to be Greg Wilhoit Day. We reserved a room at a barbeque restaurant where we had a nice meal and a beautiful closing program for the Texas Journey. We recognized Greg’s mom and dad, his sister Nancy and his wife Judy. They drove from Oklahoma to Austin to see Greg honored. Greg is a walking miracle and it was an honor for the Journey to confirm our deepest respect to him on this special day. He was presented a beautiful plaque.
We were at the KAIROS conference in Atlanta last November and in January were at the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s annual conference in Chicago. Coincidence, hard work and a little bit of luck allowed us to celebrate Illinois’s abolition of the death penalty that coincided with the beginning of our conference.
The Journey had a workshop at the 3rd Annual Restorative Justice Conference in North Carolina in June, thanks to our own Lisa Rea, an expert in the restorative justice field who organized and moderated the panel. We were at the Alternative Spring Break in Austin and the 18thAnnual Fast and Vigil at the US Supreme Court in DC. We had a Journey of Hope in Mississippi and a Journey of Hope in Spain. Our feature event this year was the African Journey of Hope. We answered a request from Ugandan death row exoneree Edward Edmary Mpagi to help him in Uganda in his struggle against the death penalty
Plans quickly came together as we made our trip to Africa coincide with the October 10th “World Day Against the Death Penalty” a project of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Doors opened for us to continue on to Rwanda and Kenya. To me the whole trip was a miracle in the making.
They had been imprisoned for the brutal 1993 murders of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Evidence against the men was circumstantial, however, and doubts grew over the years about their guilt.
Finally, nearly two decades after the crime, the men were allowed to walk free last month, the result of a complicated plea agreement requiring them to plead guilty even while declaring their innocence.
The men came to be known as the West Memphis Three. Two of them spoke to CNN's Piers Morgan in an interview that aired Thursday -- their first sit-down interview since their release.
"I hadn't seen daylight in almost a decade. I hadn't been exposed to sunlight ... for almost 10 years," Damien Echols told Morgan about his life on death row, where he lived in isolation in a concrete cell, his food passed to him through a slot in a solid steel door.
"The only thing you can do to maintain your sanity is to not think about the case and not think about what's happening to you," Echols said.
"You have to create your own world in there or you'll go insane from that stuff."
Echols still squints in bright light, the result of living for years in a dimly lit cell. When he left prison and saw daylight for the first time in a decade, Echols said, "it was like having a spotlight turned right in your face. It was extremely bright."
Echols' friend and co-accused, Jason Baldwin, said he spent the first few years of incarceration being beaten up by fellow inmates, who targeted a man they thought was a child-killer.
It has long been the conventional wisdom on both sides of the death penalty debate that if a state or the federal government were ever shown to have executed an innocent person, we'd see a dramatic drop in support for state executions. In the 2006 case Kansas v. Marsh, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a death penalty supporter, called the search for a wrongly executed person the "Holy Grail" of death penalty opponents.
But a little less than 2 years after David Grann made a convincing argument in The New Yorker that the state of Texas had done just that, public support for capital punishment hasn't wavered. In October 2009, Grann wrote about Cameron Todd Willingham, executed in 2004 for setting the fire that killed his 3 young children. Willingham was convicted because of forensic testimony from fire officials that arson experts call junk science.
Grann's story was widely discussed and distributed, but the predicted sea change in public perceptions of the death penalty didn't happen. According to Gallup polling, support for the death penalty dropped just a point between 2009 and 2010, from 65 % to 64 %, well within the margin for error. And about half the country still believes the death penalty isn't used often enough.
As we saw last week with the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia, the Willingham case doesn't even seem to have made state governments less willing to execute even when there are strong doubts about the defendant's guilt. In fact, the only fallout from Willingham may in fact have been to strengthen the resolve of death penalty supporters. When the crowd at a GOP primary debate cheered the number of executions carried out in Texas earlier this month, the Willingham case and Gov. Rick Perry's handling of it was the clear subtext of the question.
The controversial execution of Troy Davis last week in Georgia ignited outrage around the world while injecting renewed attention across America into the propriety of the death penalty, particularly in Davis-like cases where there is evidence of innocence or serious reason for doubt about guilt.
Despite the outrage over the execution of Davis though, an overarching reality is that most people don’t give a rusty-darn about debates over the death penalty.
Most folks don’t give a flick about conceptions of justice because they are just trying to make it, often barely, day-to-day.
But there is a reality about the death penalty that too few people properly appreciate: it ain’t an out-of-sight/out-of-mind circumstance impacting only families of murder victims, the death-sentenced inmate and narrow interests on either side of the pro-con execution divide.
The death penalty, besides that constantly raised “morality” thing, is a money thing that picks the pockets of all Americans, regardless of their support for or opposition to execution.
California, for example, spent $4 billion between 1978 and 2010 on its death penalty.
Huge sums of public monies pumped into death penalty prosecutions is money siphoned out of providing needed services like funding public service jobs for the unemployed or funding health care so people don’t die from tooth problems.
Yes, tooth problems! A 24-year-old unemployed Cincinnati father died in early September 2011 from a tooth infection because this man without health insurance couldn’t afford either to have a wisdom tooth pulled or buy medication to treat his infected tooth.
Much of the framing of death penalty debate revolves around mortality: should a civilized society (as America alleges to be) engage in such an uncivilized practice?
In early 1893, a white reporter, writing in the New York Sun, offered a grisly account of the burning at the stake in Paris, Texas, of a black man accused of molesting a white girl. As press accounts like this make clear, to witness a lynching—or even just glimpse its aftermath—could be a searing experience for those who were the most likely victims of the lynch mob—young African-American males.
Paris, Texas, Feb. 1, 1893.—Henry Smith, the negro ravisher of 4-year-old Myrtle Vance, has expiated in part his awful crime by death at the stake. Ever since the perpetration of his awful crime this city and the entire surrounding country has been in a wild frenzy of excitement. When the news came last night that he had been captured at Hope, Ark., that he had been identified by B. B. Sturgeon, James T. Hicks, and many other of the Paris searching party, the city was wild with joy over the apprehension of the brute. Hundreds of people poured into the city from the adjoining country and the word passed from lip to lip that the punishment of the fiend should fit the crime—that death by fire was the penalty Smith should pay for the most atrocious murder and terrible outrage in Texas history. Curious and sympathizing alike, they came on train and wagons, on horse, and on foot to see if the frail mind of a man could think of a way to sufficiently punish the perpetrator of so terrible a crime. Whisky shops were closed, unruly mobs were dispersed, schools were dismissed by a proclamation from the mayor, and everything was done in a business-like manner.
About 2 o’clock Friday a mass meeting was called at the courthouse and captains appointed to search for the child. She was found mangled beyond recognition, covered with leaves and brush as above mentioned. As soon as it was learned upon the recovery of the body that the crime was so atrocious the whole town turned out in the chase. The railroads put up bulletins offering free transportation to all who would join in the search. Posses went in every direction, and not a stone was left unturned. Smith was tracked to Detroit on foot, where he jumped on a freight train and left for his old home in Hempstead County, Arkansas. To this county he was tracked and yesterday captured at Clow, a flag station on the Arkansas & Louisiana railway about twenty miles north of Hope. Upon being questioned the fiend denied everything, but upon being stripped for examination his undergarments were seen to be spattered with blood and a part of his shirt was torn off. He was kept under heavy guard at Hope last night, and later on confessed the crime.
The Long, Murderous Arm of the Law Has Killed Troy Davis
After a long delay from the Supreme Court, Troy Davis was executed at 11:08 PM Wednesday night, despite over a million people asking for clemency.
September 21, 2011 |
Let us not mince words: The state of Georgia just murdered Troy Davis. The state coroner will list homicide as his cause of death. But he wasn’t the first and, sadly, he won’t be the last person slaughtered in the name of U.S. law and order. There are today dozens more people scheduled to be killed by states, according to Amnesty International. Their likely deaths represent the ultimate act of perversity in a system that destroys untold thousands of primarily black and brown lives every day.
Colombians suffer a dire human rights situation due to the country’s 45-year-old internal armed conflict. Leftist guerrillas fight the state and illegal right-wing paramilitary organizations, which often collaborate with sectors of the Colombian armed forces. All of the parties to the conflict are responsible for human rights violations. Armed opposition groups, including the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the ELN (National Liberation Army) have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law, including high-profile kidnappings. Colombia’s paramilitary groups, which have sown terror across Colombia for decades, were supposedly demobilized in a process initiated in 2003 by the previous administration of President Álvaro Uribe, but many such groups continue to operate in many parts of the country. The Colombian government routinely fails to bring to justice military officials who have collaborated with these illegal paramilitary groups as they carry out atrocities or even participate in civilian killings.
General Country Conditions
After two terms (for which he had to change the constitution) served by President Alvaro Uribe, Uribe’s former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos took office in August 2010. Amnesty International believes that one of Santos’ biggest and most important challenges is to ensure an independent judiciary system, allowing it to bring to justice those responsible for human rights abuses committed during the country’s long-running armed conflict. During Uribe’s tenure there has been no substantive improvement in the human rights situation. In fact,the human rights conditions in several conflict zones, have been worsening and the collusion between the armed forces and illegal paramilitary groups continues.
Human rights defenders, women, farmers, unionists, indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities among others face constant threats to their security. In rural communities, these individuals are often terrorized by guerillas and paramilitaries alike. They are forced to choose between supporting one of the armed groups for protection, or fleeing to the relative safety of urban areas where they add to the mass of urban unemployed and under-employed, swelling the ranks of the desplazados (displaced persons). As a result, between 3 and 5 million Colombians live as internal refugees.
Libyan Rebels Accused of "Ethnic Cleansing," Black Genocide
Written by Alex Newman ( 15. Sept. 2011 The New American)
NATO and U.S.-backed rebel forces in Libya are reportedly engaging in systematic attacks against the black population in what some analysts have called war crimes and even genocide, sparking condemnation worldwide from human-rights groups and officials.
Reports and photographic evidence indicate that numerous atrocities including mass executions have taken place even in recent weeks. Many black victims were found with their hands bound behind their backs and bullets through their skulls.
Horrific internment camps, systematic rape, torture, lynching, and looting of businesses owned by blacks have all been reported as well. And countless sub-Saharan Africans have been forced to flee their homes in Libya to avoid the same fate.
The al-Qaeda-linked rebels’ campaign of racist terror began shortly after the Benghazi uprising in February. More than a few videos surfaced on the internet in the early months of the conflict showing brutal lynchings and beheadings while Western-backed rebels cheered.
But as insurgent forces solidify their grip over most of Libya, the race-based persecution is quickly intensifying. Entire cities and towns formerly occupied by blacks have been ethnically cleansed and destroyed.
"The Brigade for Purging Slaves, black Skin" — apparently a rebel slogan — was found months ago scrawled all along the road to Tawergha. And today, the coastal city of about 10,000 mostly black residents has essentially been wiped off the map.
4 Tomorrow’s new initiative receives funding from UNDEF (The United Nations Democracy Fund).
"DRAW me DEMOCRACY!"
“Draw me Democracy!”
My Voice, Your Vote, Our Future - a new initiative by 4 Tomorrow – is one of the 64 projects selected of more than 3.700 applications in the UNDEF’s Fifth Round of Funding.
“Draw me Democracy!” - A campaign for Human Rights, Encouraging Participation in Civic and Democratic Initiatives – will consist of a series of workshops in 12 countries across the world: four in Latin America (Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia), four in Africa (Tunisia, Ghana, Kenya and Botswana), two in Eastern Europe (Georgia and Ukraine) and two in Asia (India and Pakistan).
The main objective of the project is to create awareness and more over build capacity at an individual and institutional level. The campaign aims to reach its objectives by bringing the tools of up-to-date technology and vision to both designers and CSOs with women`s empowerment as a core priority.
For starters, the project will run one-week workshops on advocacy advertising, social networking and communication. These workshops will be accessible to a large number of participants. One-year follow-ups will then be organized targeting smaller groups of participants in order to consolidate the learning and enlarge the network. Finally, a second round of one-week workshops will take place in four countries, which will be identified according to criteria of urgency and topicality.
"Poster 4 Tomorrow" is extremely proud of the endorsement the United Nations Democracy Fund. No other projects of its kind are currently active in the world. The project has been selected because of its uniqueness, its strong focus on innovation, the youth, its global range and its visual nature, making it easily accessible.
About UNDEF...
UNDEF (United Nation Democracy Trust Fund) was established by the UN Secretary-General in 2005 as a United Nations General Trust Fund to support democratisation efforts around the world. UNDEF supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes. The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil society organizations - both in the transition and consolidation phases of democratisation.
About "Poster 4 Tomorrow"...
Founded in 2009, " 4Tomorrow" is an independent, non-profit organization based in Paris, whose goal is to foster the capacity to understand and face global social issues through creativity "Poster for Tomorrow" - 4Tomorrow’s main project - is a yearly poster contest based on Human Rights issues. The objective is to encourage people, both in and outside the design community, to make posters to stimulate debate. Each year, a large number of exhibitions are hosted worldwide, all opening on the same day, displaying the 100 best posters entered to the competition.
Please also take a look at the past projects on the webpage below:
My name is Mpagi Edward Edmary. I really appreciate your efforts. I am so happy to join you in thisblogaimed at the global moratorium on the death penalty.
My story is for the brothers in Uganda that are still on death row.
In 1981, I was arrested along with my cousin brother Mr. Fred Masembe (rest in peace). I served 20 years in jail for the alleged murder of a person who was later found to be alive.
We only saw our lawyer twice before our hearing. As a result of bribes we were sentenced to death. At that time my English was not so good. I needed a translator. My brother did not know any English at all.
I spent 18 years on death row and 2 years on remand. My cousin brother and I were both convicted in this case. By then in Uganda it was very hard to reverse the decision of the judge, so my family followed the case up, until they lost hope in securing our release. My brother and I could not believe that a legal system would convict innocent people.
In Uganda, conditions for death row prisoners are cruel, degrading and inhumane. We were always denied medicines. There were lice flies and other vermin in the prison and this resulted in many illnesses and many prisoners died from these illnesses. In 1984 my brother developed malaria and stomach complications because of inadequate food and skin conditions.
I pleaded with the prison authorities to give my brother medication and treatment. However they told me that we were brought to death row to face death, that it was a waste of tax payer's money to treat him. My brother died in 1985. This really scared me. But life continued.
Life is terrible on death row in Uganda, Africa. No one was ever given any notice that they would be executed. Each time we were taken by complete surprise. We lived in complete fear of any unusual activity from the wardens. During my stay in prison there were five rounds of executions. The last one was in 1999 in which the state executed 28 prisoners. But to make matters worse for the inmates, execution was carried out in the very nearby place, the crying of the inmates was closely heard and movements were seen. This made inmates life so complicated.
I remember my best friend and roommate who was dragged out by prison wardens to be executed. He cried and resisted but he was overpowered after he was hit on the head by fierce wardens. Everybody was in fear at that time. It took us years to be relieved of that incident. But still I keep remembering his last words. The coffins for the prisoners to be executed were made in the prison. During the three days before executions, we could all hear the making of coffins. The black hoods and clothes for prisoners to be executed were made by other prisoners. We knew how many people were to be executed by counting the number of hoods being made. All this made us depressed and stressed. The people selected for execution were taken to the gallows, which were above our cells. They kept calling out to us and singing hymns to inform us of their fate. Many of them went to the gallows pleading their innocence. Others admitted their crimes and made peace with their enemies and the Lord. Others insisted that while they committed offences, their co-accused were innocent and wrongly convicted.
For three days prior to execution we were obliged to stay in our cells. During this time we were forced to live, sleep and eat in the same conditions. No one had any appetite for food, sleep or conversation. There was normally dead silence and we thought about our own executions. Some prisoners then attempted suicide, even if they were not going to be executed then. Executions normally took place at night. When a prisoner reached the gallows, we would all listen. After a few moments, we would hear a loud sound like a sudden explosion, as the trap doors of the gallows spring open and the prisoners are dropped to their death. We would then hear the corpses fall with a loud bang on the death table.
After my release, my family had dispersed. My wife had died and I have since lost track of two of my children because of the 1985 guerilla war in Uganda. I don't know whether they are still alive. I have four children left -- two from my previous family and two from my current family. Unfortunately the two children from my first family had no support to go to school in my absence and so now they are illiterate, which hurts me so much.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 September 2011 10:08
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Major in Human Rights appoved at SMU, Dallas
Written by Angela Grobben
Friday, Sept. 9
SMU makes human rights major official
SMU students will now be able to major in Human Rights.
According to Dr. Rick Halperin, the director of the Embrey Human Rights Program, the major was approved earlier this morning at the Board of Trustees meeting.
This makes SMU the first college in the South to offer the major and the fifth in the country.
He received an e-mail with the news.
"This step today is a great recognition of student interest in this program. We wouldn't have this major without the students who are interested in pursuing these courses and their passion to make the world better," Halperin said. "So it's really a tribute to student interest."
Halperin started teaching human rights through the history department at SMU in the spring of 1990. The program officially began on July 1, 2006 after receiving a one million dollar donation. The minor, which started in Fall 2007, gives students the opportunity to learn about all forms of human rights ranging from civil to cultural.
The major will allow students to delve deeper. Students will be able to choose between two tracks, one focusing on gender and human rights and the other on public policy and human rights.
"It's a really transformative event," he said. "To recognize that we have attracted and we are obviously going to continue to attract students here from all over the country who want, in some capacity to work for a better society and a better world."
Although student and faculty supporters were the big contenders in the approval of the major, Halperin believes everyone will benefit.
"It's really a team triumph," he said. "And I mean the entire SMU family."
